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H. A. BARDEEN.

APPARATUS PoP ANNEALING PIPE. APPLICATION FILED )UNE l l.' i917- 1,325,82'7. Patented De. 23,1919.

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APPARATUS Fon ANNEALING PIPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

@riginal application filed April 10, 1916, Serial `1\lo.i90,.262'. Divided and thisgapplication filed .Tune 1i, 1.91?.

Serial No.

To all whom t may concern:

he it known thatl, l-Inerr A. BARDEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles Vand State of California, have invented a .new and useful Apparatus for Annealing Pipe, of which the v,following is a specification.

The invention disclosed herein is a .division of .my application Serial No. 90,267, filed April th, 1916.

lilly invention relates to a new art, namely, that of annealing crystallized and crooked pipe. lPipe of this character `is very plentiful in `the oil fields, large quantities of such pipe being vused as `drill pipe and becoming badly damaged by being crystallized when in use.

rlFhe principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by which `such `pipe can be annealed, so that it is restored to `its original condition. Various oil operators have from time `to time attempted `to anneal such pipe, but have found that the pipe after annealing is valueless for their `purpose, due to the fact that it is not sufficiently straight, the operations of heating and cooling tending to warp the pipe sothat it is valueless for most purposes. By `my invention, the pipe is annealed and straightcned while hot, so that it is ready for immediate use in an oil well.

lfurther objects and advantages will b set forth hereinafter.

in the drawings, which are `for illustra tive purposes only:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing a preferred form of my invention. y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, portions thereof being broken away or shown in section to better illustrate the internal structure.

ln the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a surface 11 is formed of various supports hereinafter to be described, this surface being practically continuous so that pipe can be readily rolled thereover either `when hot or cold with certain advantages which will be set forth hereinafter. For the purpose of heating the pipe, I provide a masonry structure 12 having a flue opening `13 in lthe center thereof, this flue opening Abeing somewhat longer `,than the pipe to be treated, and being fed by `a draft opening 14 which extends longitudinally 'under the pipe and communicates with the outer air at `either end. A series of burners `15, lfed with yoil vor gas from a longitudinal` pipe 16, are progvded, these burners i5 projecting upwardly in the opening 13 and pro-` viding the heating medium `for heating the pipe shown at 17. This pipe is placedfon a eal series of `fire brick, `or metal members i8 which `extend across ythe 4opening 13 at regu lar intervals, thespace between the members 18 being open so that the hot gases from the burners L5 may play against the bottone and pass around the sidesof `the pipe 17. A `hood. 19, preferably formed of metal, lined with ,fire resisting material 20, is provided, this rhoodbeing of sulicient length to cover the `longest `length of `pipe which it will over be desired to anneal. rlhe hood 19 is provided with flanges 2l which rest on the surface l1 and form aitightclosure therewith. A short chimney `22 is provided in the top of the hood havingy a flue 23 therein through which the rhot gases supplied `by the burners may escape. Chains 24, or equivalent means, are provided, 4by means of which the hood may be `lifted bodily. A series of straightening supports are provided, `these supports enn tending over a pit 31 forming an extension of the surface 1l, and being secured at32 and 33 in the walls of this pit. These supports are preferably of metal and each has near `the center thereof a plate 3i, these plates being preferably provided with V- notches 35, the notches 35 of the diderent plates being in alineinent so that a pipe which restsin all of these notches is in a straight line. Straightening levers 36` are pivoted at 37 on supports 38 lined on the wall of the pit 31, these levers extending over and being secured to piston rods 39 secured to `pistons .i0 sliding in cylinders lil. The `upper portion of each of the cylinders 4i may be supplied with compressed air or other iluidlthrough a supply pipe il-2. Holddown `chains `43 `are pivoted at #ii on the lovers 36 and are of sufficient length to pass A pipe 17, which may be badly bent andv crystallized, is rolled on the supports 18, and

the hood 19 is dropped thereover as shown in Fig. 1. The burners 15 arerthen lighted, and the hot flames are allowed to play on the bottom or the pipe, passing around and lover theV pipe and upwardly through the` opening 23 in the chimney 22. rIhis operation is continued until the pipe is raised considerably above a red heat,this being a satisfactory temperature for thoroughly 'annealing `and removing the crystallization therefrom.. i

I have found thatwhere pipeis annealed in this matter that there is great liability of any bends or crooks therein being acf centuated during the .heating operation, so that the Vpipe'after having Vbeen thoroughly compressed airisvturned' in through ing it down, can be heated is still very crooked. This pipe could be'alloived to cool and might be straightened after it cools o, but' I have found that l Where pipe is so straightened Vthat it has an inherent tendency' to' resume its crooked condition, Yand I have further found that WhereV such pipe is straightened cold. that there isliability of injuring. the metal during. the cold Straightening operation. For these reasons, I prefer to straighten the pipe while it is hot and in a semi-plastic condition. F or this purpose theV apparatus shown is provided. t

YAfter the pipe is throughly heated the hood 19 is liftedand the pipe is immediately rolled or pushed 'into the position shown at 45fin Fig. 1. By resting the pipe on the surface 11, which is continuous from the heating means to the straightening means and by providing the hood 19. which can be rapidly raised, Iam able to transfer the pipe from the'position 17 to theposition 45 in a minimuin of time, so that it Vmay be pushedvinto'the notches 35'without any appreciable loss of heat. The chains are then thrown` over the *pipe and secured on the hooks 46.` As soon as allthese chains are secured, and there may be. as many Vof them Vas are necessary to produce straight pipe, they pipe 42 and each of the the cha-ins 43 pulling the pipe to its bearings in the notches 35.4 The .whole operation of moving the pipe over into the notches 35, throwing the chains therearound and Vclampperformed very quickly. In the aetualroperation of my invention, operating on six inch diameter pipe, which is a common size in use in the oil fields, I prefer to place one of the straightening supports 30 at least every eighteen vinches and levers 36 is pushed down,

preferably every toot along the length of the pipe. By so doing, the pipe may bc pulled down so that it is straight, even very short kinks being readily taken out by this method. By providing an apparatus in which the transfer from the heating means to the straightening means is made very rapidly, and by providing connection means tor pulling the pipe down, I am able to straighten it before it cools oil appreciably, lthus preventing injuring the metal. After the pipe has been pulled down to its bearings, it may be articially cooled by means of a steam jet 100 which is controlled by a valve 101, or by compressed air, or by other means.4 I prefer to round the edges of the notches 35 so that the pipe in contraction can slide therethrough and can also slide through the chains 43. I have found that pipe can be readily and rapidly straightened by this method and that when it is so straightened it is superior to cold straightened pipe, and-that it is generally superior to the average run of commercial pipe which has not been subjected to any special heat treatment and which is ordinarily straightened cold in the process of manufacture.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for annealing pipe coinprising Walls forming a iiue opening; narrow supports extending across the top of said Hue opening on which a pipe may be supported; a burner located in said iue opening below said supports, and so placed the tops of the supports form a part of a plane surface extending for a considerable distance to one side of said flue opening, and over which said pipe may be rolled.

3. An apparatus for annealing pipe comprisingwalls forming a Hue opening; narrow supports extending across the top of said lue opening on which. a pipe may be supported; a burner located in said flue opening below said supports and so placed that the hot gases of combustion pass around and evenly heat the exterior of the pipe; and a hood located above the supports and operating with said walls to cause said gasesto pass around said pipe.

4. An apparatus for annealing pipe comprising walls forming a iiue opening; narrow supports extending across the top of said flue opening on which a pipe may be supported, the top of said narrow supports Jforming a portion of a plane surface extending for a considerable distance to one side of said Hue opening and over which said pipe may be rolled; a burner located in said flue opening below said supports and so placed that the hot gases of combustion can pass around and evenly heat the exterior of the pipe; and a hood located above said said hood being so formed as to cause the supports and covering said pipe for the purhot gases'from said burner to pass around pose of so directing said hot gases. and evenly heat the exterior of the pipe; 5. An apparatus for annealing pipe co1nand means for raising and lowering said prising Walls forming a flue opening;V narhood to allow the pipe to pass freely there- 15 row supports extending across the top of beneath. said iue opening on which a pipe may be In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set supported; a burner located in said iue my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 1st opening below said supports; a hood rest day of June, 1917.

i0 ing on said support-s and covering said pipe; HUGH A. BARDEEN. 

